With the first road trip looming, the Gators are looking to put the past behind them and focus on creating an impression with its largest roster since at least 1996.
On Dec. 6, Florida’s dreams of its first national title were dashed when Florida State took a 3-2 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ending the Gators’ season.
After completing its opening weekend with wins against Georgia Southern, Idaho and Oklahoma, No. 11 Florida is setting its sights on Tallahassee and Tully Gym when it faces No. 8 Florida State tonight at 6 — not for revenge, but to show their competition that they are just as strong as last year.
"We’re focused on this year," senior defensive specialist Holly Pole said. "We’re focused on going out tomorrow night and giving it our best and that’s all we’re worried about."
Pole played a pivotal role in Florida’s five-set win over Oklahoma on Saturday by taking on the libero position going into the third set for Florida to relieve senior Taylor Unroe.
The Ocala native finished with 18 digs and one service ace against the Sooners.
Going against Florida State won’t be easy. While putting their best foot forward is the first step for the Florida squad, coach Mary Wise is most focused on preparing for FSU’s fast-paced offense.
"In a relatively short period of time we’re trying to prepare for one of the fastest offenses in the country," Wise said.
"Florida State has been good for a while and this may be even a better team than the team that went to the Final Four — they have four new transfers that we didn’t even see in the spring starting for them — and so much of our attention has just been trying to prepare this team for Thursday night."
While the speed of Florida State’s offense is one of the biggest issues Florida is working to combat, the Gators still have to consider the impact that FSU junior outside hitter Nicole Walch will have in the match.
Florida State is coming off of a big win at then-No. 7 Nebraska that saw Walch put up a double-double with 18 kills and 15 digs.
In Florida’s final match of 2013, Walch finished the five-set FSU win with 22 kills, 15 digs and three service aces.
With Walch and four transfers that Florida has seen little from, the Gators will have to find a way to slow down the Seminoles offense and stop Walch from putting up big numbers.
"This will be the ultimate test that we’ve had so far, playing on the road at Florida State — they’ll have a huge crowd and they’ll come out and give us their best," Unroe said. "So I think we’re just preparing as best we can on our side to try to combat what they do on Thursday."
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Taylor Unroe jumps to serve the ball during Florida's 3-0 win against Georgia Southern on Friday in the O'Connell Center.
